[NEWS] PLA’s furtive underwater nukes test the Pentagon

Until recently, China lacked a reliable nuclear second-strike capability. Its ballistic missile submarines, which can deliver a nuclear weapon, are changing that. Now, the United States is pursuing these subs in a cat-and-mouse contest reminiscent of the Cold War.


READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE @https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/china-army-nuclear/


Satellite imagery reveals the regular presence of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines at the strategic base near the resort city of Sanya. Specialized surface warships and aircraft designed to protect the subs are prowling key waterways off the coast. Facilities at the base appear to have been built to store and load ballistic missiles. Antenna arrays that support the hunt for foreign submarines have appeared on Chinese-held islands in the hotly contested South China Sea. And a veteran submariner has been appointed to command Chinese forces in the south of the country.

Taken together, this means China has a force of missile submarines that can launch nuclear attacks from beneath the waves and now appear to be heading out on patrols, according to serving and retired naval officers, diplomats and security analysts. That gives Beijing something it has until recently lacked: a more reliable “second strike” capability if its land-based nuclear arsenal comes under attack.

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After six decades of battling to master complex and challenging subsea military technologies, China has joined the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and France in the nuclear ballistic missile submarine club. In its most explicit assessment so far of this Chinese capability, the Pentagon in its latest annual report on China’s military, published in August, said that Beijing now has a “credible” and “viable” sea-based nuclear deterrent.                   

~*~*~

Each of China’s four Jin-class submarines is armed with up to 12 ballistic missiles that can carry a nuclear warhead with an estimated range of 7,200 kilometers (about 4,500 miles), according to the Pentagon. That would put the United States within striking distance from the Western Pacific. Analysts at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies estimate these missiles could fly at least 8,000 kilometers. The U.S. believes China has up to 100 nuclear missiles based on land.

~*~*~

"An armed Jin-class SSBN will give China an important strategic capability that must be countered,” Admiral Harry Harris, then head of the U.S. Pacific Command, told a congressional committee last year.

That response appears to be happening. The United States and its allies are expanding their anti-submarine naval deployments across East Asia. This includes stepped-up patrols of America’s advanced, sub-hunting P-8 Poseidon planes out of Singapore and Japan.

~*~*~

As it strengthens and improves its nuclear arsenal, Beijing is the only major nuclear power to be adding warheads to its stockpiles. China is developing an air-launched ballistic missile and plans to build a long-range stealth bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons. With the sea-based second-strike deterrent in place, those programs suggest Beijing eventually intends to field a triad of air, sea and land-based nuclear weapons like the United States and Russia.

~*~*~

Commercial satellite images of the submarine base give insight into the furtive force stationed there. They appear to show missile submarines regularly tied up alongside long piers in the harbor. Satellite images from Google Earth in June last year show what appear to be three Jin-class missile submarines at the base.

Hackers Are Targeting Nuclear Facilities, Homeland Security Dept. and F.B.I. Say

Since May, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations and other energy facilities, as well as manufacturing plants in the United States and other countries.

Among the companies targeted was the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which runs a nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kan., according to security consultants and an urgent joint report issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation last week.

The joint report was obtained by The New York Times and confirmed by security specialists who have been responding to the attacks. It carried an urgent amber warning, the second-highest rating for the sensitivity of the threat.

The report did not indicate whether the cyberattacks were an attempt at espionage — such as stealing industrial secrets — or part of a plan to cause destruction. There is no indication that hackers were able to jump from their victims’ computers into the control systems of the facilities, nor is it clear how many facilities were breached.

Wolf Creek officials said that while they could not comment on cyberattacks or security issues, no “operations systems” had been affected and that their corporate network and the internet were separate from the network that runs the plant.
Continue reading the main story

In a joint statement with the F.B.I., a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said, “There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks.”

The hackers appeared determined to map out computer networks for future attacks, the report concluded. But investigators have not been able to analyze the malicious “payload” of the hackers’ code, which would offer more detail into what they were after.

John Keeley, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, which works with all 99 electric utilities that operate nuclear plants in the United States, said nuclear facilities are required to report cyberattacks that relate to their “safety, security and operations.” None have reported that the security of their operations was affected by the latest attacks, Mr. Keeley said.

In most cases, the attacks targeted people — industrial control engineers who have direct access to systems that, if damaged, could lead to an explosion, fire or a spill of dangerous material, according to two people familiar with the attacks who could not be named because of confidentiality agreements.

The origins of the hackers are not known. But the report indicated that an “advanced persistent threat” actor was responsible, which is the language security specialists often use to describe hackers backed by governments.

The two people familiar with the investigation say that, while it is still in its early stages, the hackers’ techniques mimicked those of the organization known to cybersecurity specialists as “Energetic Bear,” the Russian hacking group that researchers have tied to attacks on the energy sector since at least 2012.

Hackers wrote highly targeted email messages containing fake résumés for control engineering jobs and sent them to the senior industrial control engineers who maintain broad access to critical industrial control systems, the government report said.

The fake résumés were Microsoft Word documents that were laced with malicious code. Once the recipients clicked on those documents, attackers could steal their credentials and proceed to other machines on a network.

In some cases, the hackers also compromised legitimate websites that they knew their victims frequented — something security specialists call a watering hole attack. And in others, they deployed what are known as man-in-the-middle attacks in which they redirected their victims’ internet traffic through their own machines.

Energy, nuclear and critical manufacturing organizations have frequently been targets for sophisticated cyberattacks. The Department of Homeland Security has called cyberattacks on critical infrastructure “one of the most serious national security challenges we must confront.”

On May 11, during the attacks, President Trump signed an executive order to strengthen the cybersecurity defenses of federal networks and critical infrastructure. The order required government agencies to work with public companies to mitigate risks and help defend critical infrastructure organizations “at greatest risk of attacks that could reasonably result in catastrophic regional or national effects on public health or safety, economic security, or national security.”

The order specifically addressed the threats from “electricity disruptions and prolonged power outages resulting from cybersecurity incidents.”

Jon Wellinghoff, the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said in an interview last week that while the security of United States’ critical infrastructure systems had improved in recent years, they were still vulnerable to advanced hacking attacks, particularly those that use tools stolen from the National Security Agency.

“We never anticipated that our critical infrastructure control systems would be facing advanced levels of malware,” Mr. Wellinghoff said.

In 2008, an attack called Stuxnet that was designed by the United States and Israel to hit Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility, demonstrated how computer attacks could disrupt and destroy physical infrastructure.

The government hackers infiltrated the systems that controlled Iran’s nuclear centrifuges and spun them wildly out of control, or stopped them from spinning entirely, destroying a fifth of Iran’s centrifuges.

In retrospect, Mr. Wellinghoff said that attack should have foreshadowed the threats the United States would face on its own infrastructure.

Critical infrastructure is increasingly controlled by Scada, or supervisory control and data acquisition systems. They are used by manufacturers, nuclear plant operators and pipeline operators to monitor variables like pressure and flow rates through pipelines. The software also allows operators to monitor and diagnose unexpected problems.

But like any software, Scada systems are susceptible to hacking and computer viruses. And for years, security specialists have warned that hackers could use remote access to these systems to cause physical destruction.


AS SEEN @

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/technology/nuclear-plant-hack-report.html?_r=0

US Stores Dozens of Weapons of Mass Destruction in This Non-Nuclear Country

Date: 16.05.2017
Source: sputniknews.com


Italy has stored US nuclear weapons on its territory as part of NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangement, which has seen Washington station its B61 nuclear bombs in non-nuclear countries. Aviano, a NATO base in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, is home to some 50 B61 bombs, while Ghedi, a base of the Italian Air Force in the region of Lombardy, is estimated to host between 20-40 B61 bombs.
In addition, US tactical nuclear weapons are stored in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Di Ernesto expressed doubt that Italian politicians would force the United States to withdraw its troops, weapons and military installations from the country.
"Sadly, our politicians are fully dependent on Washington," he said. "I don't think that Italian politicians could oppose these bases, taking into account that they are mostly financed by the United States.

Read the whole article @ https://sputniknews.com/military/201705161053657854-us-italy-nuclear-weapons/

Storyville -Zero Day: Nuclear Cyber Sabotage BBC Documentary 2017

RETRIEVED: 19/01/2017
SOURCE: YOUTUBE, BBC

Documentary thriller about warfare in a world without rules - the world of cyberwar. It tells the story of Stuxnet, self-replicating computer malware, known as a 'worm' for its ability to burrow from computer to computer on its own. In a covert operation, the American and Israeli intelligence agencies allegedly unleashed Stuxnet to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility. Ultimately the 'worm' spread beyond its intended target.
Zero Day is the most comprehensive account to date of how a clandestine mission opened forever the Pandora's box of cyber warfare. A cautionary tale of technology, politics, unintended consequences, morality, and the dangers of secrecy.





ABOUT STUXNET FROM WIKIPEDIA

Stuxnet is a malicious computer worm, first identified in 2010, that targets industrial computer systems and was responsible for causing substantial damage to Iran's nuclear program. The software was designed to erase itself in 2012 thus limiting the scope of its effects. The worm is believed by many experts to be a jointly built American-Israeli cyberweapon,[1] although no organization or state has officially admitted responsibility. Anonymous US officials speaking to The Washington Post claimed the worm was developed during the Bush administration to sabotage Iran's nuclear program with what would seem like a long series of unfortunate accidents.[2]

Stuxnet specifically targets programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which allow the automation of electromechanical processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or centrifuges for separating nuclear material. Exploiting four zero-day flaws,[3] Stuxnet functions by targeting machines using the Microsoft Windows operating system and networks, then seeking out Siemens Step7 software. Stuxnet reportedly compromised Iranian PLCs, collecting information on industrial systems and causing the fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart.[4] Stuxnet’s design and architecture are not domain-specific and it could be tailored as a platform for attacking modern SCADA and PLC systems (e.g., in automobile assembly lines[vague] or power plants), the majority of which reside in Europe, Japan and the US.[5] Stuxnet reportedly ruined almost one fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE @

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet

N. Korea holds mass rally after Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s ‘nuke’ message

DATE: 06/01/2017
RETRIEVED: 06/01/2017
SOURCE: RT


Thousands of North Koreans have taken to the streets of the capital Pyongyang after leader Kim Jong-un, in his New Year’s message, announced preparations for a test-launch of banned ICBMs were at the ‘final stage.’
The demonstrators gathered in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang and chanted “long live comrade Kim Jong-un,” AFP reported. Some of them were seen holding banners saying “Let us accelerate the victorious advance of socialism!”

~*~*~*~

In September, Pyongyang stated that it conducted its fifth nuclear test, announcing it is now capable of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic rockets.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE @

https://www.rt.com/news/372816-north-korea-mass-rally/

Which Countries Have Nuclear Weapons and How Big Their Arsenals Are

DATE:23/12/2016
SOYRCE: NY TIMES

Russia and the United States are believed to have 7,000 weapons each, or more. Only about a quarter of these are deployed, and most of the others are in reserve or set aside to be dismantled. North Korea's arsenal is cloaked in secrecy, but experts believe it has fewer than 10 weapons.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE @

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/23/world/nuclear-weapon-countries.html

N. Korea's leader hints of long-range missile test launch

DATE: 01/01/2017
SOURCE: AP, CBS


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang — the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage"

Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up on Jan. 8, and last year Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6.

Kim threatened in the address to boost his country's military capabilities further unless the U.S. ends war games with rival South Korea. But he also said efforts must be made to defuse the possibility of another Korean war and stressed the importance of building the economy under a five-year plan announced in May.

The year ahead could be a tumultuous one in north Asia, with Donald Trump set to become the new U.S. president on Jan. 20, and South Korea's politics in disarray over a scandal that brought the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE @

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kim-jong-un-hints-north-korea-test-intercontinental-ballistic-missle/

'Tremendous strength’: India conducts successful ICBM test

DATE: 26/12/2016
SOURCE: RT

India has successfully tested its most powerful Agni-V ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the country’s Defense Ministry announced. PM Narendra Modi dubbed the launch a “tremendous strength” of the country’s defense.

The launch took place at about 10:30am Monday local time, from Kalam Island off the coast of India’s eastern state of Odischa. Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee confirmed the latest show of force in a twitter message.


The Agni-5 is the first Indian missile that has a range sufficient to hit any target in neighboring Pakistan or China.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE @

https://www.rt.com/news/371869-india-agni-missile-test/

Newt Gingrich endorses Donald Trump's plan to expand US nuke programme

DATE: 25/12/2016
SOURCE: IBTIMES


Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich endorsed on Sunday (25 December) President-elect Donald Trump's comments about expanding the US nuclear programme. Gingrich, who is an avid supporter of the incoming president, called Trump's remarks "exactly right".

"I think for the [next president to say] we're going to have to systematically rebuild our nuclear capability, is exactly right," Gingrich told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. He added that Trump's comments reflect the world in which China, Iran, North Korea and Russia have tried to build up their weapons programmes.

"There are a number of steps [Russia is] taking to be a war-fighting capability," he continued. "We have to, candidly, overmatch that."

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE @ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/newt-gingrich-endorses-donald-trumps-plan-expand-us-nuke-programme-1598070

PUTIN: RUSSIA'S MILITARY IS STRONGER THAN ANY POTENTIAL FOE

DATE: 22/12/2016
AUTHOR: NATALIYA VASILYEVA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS


MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's military today can overpower any potential foe but should strengthen its nuclear arsenal, President Vladimir Putin told an annual end-of-year meeting Thursday with defense chiefs.

"We can say with certainty: We are stronger now than any potential aggressor," he told the meeting. "Anyone!"

His comments come at the end of a year when tensions between Russia and the West have remained on edge over the civil war in Syria.

Tensions between Russia and the West have been souring ever since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and surreptitious support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Relations dipped further after Russia last year launched an air offensive in Syria to support President Bashar Assad.

Both Russia and NATO members have conducted a flurry of military drills near Russia's borders this year. Russia insists it is responding to a growing NATO threat.

Speaking at the defense ministry's headquarters in Moscow, Putin said Russia should be swift in "adjusting plans to neutralize potential threats to our country."

He said strengthening Russia's nuclear capability should be a chief objective for 2017.

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE @ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_MILITARY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-12-22-06-35-19

Trump: US must 'greatly strengthen' nuclear capability

DATE: 22/12/2016
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS


President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability" until the rest of the world "comes to its senses" regarding nuclear weapons.

Trump made the statement on Twitter and did not expand on the actions he wants the U.S. to take or on the issues he sees around the world. His comments came one day after meeting with incoming White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump's transition website says he "recognizes the uniquely catastrophic threats posed by nuclear weapons and cyberattacks," adding that he will modernize the nuclear arsenal "to ensure it continues to be an effective deterrent." Beyond that, he has offered few specifics, either as a candidate or during the transition.

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE @ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/22/trump-us-must-greatly-strengthen-nuclear-capability.html

@ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-4057746/Trump-denounces-attack-vows-tough-immigration-plan.html

Netanyahu seeks, under President-elect Trump, to “scrap” the Iranian nuclear agreement

DATE: 12/12/2016
SOURCE: HEAVENTV7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an exclusive interview to CBS’s 60 ‘Minutes’ which aired last night (12.12.16), said he believes US President-elect Donald Trump will be a good friend to Israel and hopes the two countries can work together to dismantle the nuclear agreement world powers reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran, an accord Netanyahu referred to on several occasions as a “historic mistake”.

READ THE REST @
 http://www.tv7israelnews.com/netanyahu-seeks-under-president-elect-trump-to-scrap-the-iranian-nuclear-agreement/